What Does the Name Noah Mean? (2024)

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Noah is believed to come from the Hebrew name Noach, meaning "rest." It is also the name of a prominent biblical figure.

In the Old Testament's book of Genesis, Noah was chosen by God as the only righteous man of his time. He was told to gather animals "two by two" from every species and build the Ark, which allowed him, his family, and the animals to survive the Great Flood meant to punish the world. After the flood, he received the sign of the rainbow as a covenant from God that the entire Earth would never again be destroyed by a flood.

How Popular Is the Name Noah?

Noah is an old name that has become extremely popular again. It began gaining popularity in the 1980s, reaching the top 100 baby names in 1995 and the top 15 in 2006.

It was the No. 1 boy's baby name in the United States from 2013 to 2016, peaking in 2016 when 19,171 babies were named Noah—more than at any other time over the last 100 years. It dropped to second most popular in 2017 and has remained the second most popular name since.

Name Variations

As it is a biblical name, Noah has an equivalent in multiple languages, including:

• Noa (Croatian, French)
• Noé (French, Portuguese, Spanish)
• Nuh (Arabic/Turkish)
• Noach (Hebrew, Dutch)
• Nooa (Finnish)
• Noak (Swedish)
• Nojus (Lithuanian)

Other variations include:

• Knoa (Hebrew)
• Nowa (Arabic)
• Nowah (Chinese)
• Nohwa (Australian)
• Noha (Arabic)
• Nawai (Hawaiian)
• Nowey (German)
• Noeh (Hebrew)

Similar Names

Other boy names from the Old Testament and Bible include:

• Aaron
• Abraham
• Adam
• Caleb
• Daniel
• David
• Elijah
• Ezra
• Issac
• Isaiah
• Joshua
• Samuel

Other boy names starting with "N" include:

• Nash
• Nathan
• Neil
• Niam
• Nicholas
• Niles
• Nolan
• Norman

Suggested Sibling Names

• Aiden
• Charlie
• Emma
• Emily
• Ethan
• Evelyn
• Gabriel
• Hannah
• Hope
• Jacob
• John
• Leo
• Max
• Mary
• Micah
• Olivia
• Rachel
• Ruth
• Sarah
• Zachary

Famous People Named Noah

One of the most famous American Noahs was Noah Webster, an American lexicographer born in 1758 who created the American Spelling Book in 1783 and America's first dictionary, the American Dictionary of the English Language in 1828.

The name Noah is also associated with a number of actors, including Noah Wylie, Noah Centineo, Noah Taylor, and Noah Emmerich.

Famous Noahs

• Noah Webster, American lexicographer
• Noah Wylie, American actor, best known for his role as Dr. John Carter on E.R.
• Noah Centineo, American actor, best known for his role in the Netflix movie To All the Boys I've Loved Before
• Noah Emmerich, American actor, best known for his role in the FX series The Americans
• Noah Taylor, British-Australian actor best known for his role as Locke in the HBO series Game of Thrones
• Noah Schnapp, American actor best known for his role as Will Byers in the Netflix series Stranger Things
• Noah Jackson, retired American football player who played for 10 seasons with the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• Noah Syndergaard, American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Mets
• Noah Ringer, American actor and martial arts practitioner known for his role in The Last Airbender
• Noah Hoffman, American Olympic cross country skier who competed in the 2014 and 2018 Winter Olympics
• Noah Cyrus, American singer, actress, and daughter of Billy Ray Cyrus

Famous fictional Noahs

• Noah Solloway, Fictional character in the Showtime series The Affair
• Noah Bennet, Fictional character in the NBC series Heroes
• Noah Joad, Fictional character in John Steinbeck's novel The Grapes of Wrath
• Noah Calhoun, Fictional main character in the novel, The Notebook, by Nicholas Sparks

Famous Noas

• Noa James, American rapper based in California
• Noa Lindberg, American actress, producer, and author
• Noa Netanyahu, daughter of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
• Noa Tishby, Israeli actress, writer and model